Niagara University launches free mobile application

Submitted

Niagara
University has launched a free mobile application to help iPhone, iPod Touch
and Android devices connect to campus from anywhere in the world.

The
app is currently available for download in the Apple iTunes Store and the
Google Play Store (Android Market), and can be accessed by visiting www.niagara.edu/app.

App
users can get mobile access to news, events, scores, social media channels,
admissions information, academic programs, course listings, an employee
directory, library catalogs, dining hall hours, and much more. Users can even
listen live to WNIA, the campus radio station, and play the Niagara battle song
directly from their mobile devices.

"The
new app is an exciting way for future and current students, alumni and friends
of Niagara University to stay abreast of the remarkable things happening on our
campus," said Tom Burns, associate vice president for public relations, communications
and marketing. "This app also provides unique tools for families considering
Niagara as a college option. Our intention is to continually update this new
communication tool with fresh and relevant content and compelling new
features."

Parents
and prospective students will find information on counselors, applying to
Niagara, and an interactive map that includes a brief video overview and photo
library of every academic building on campus.

"We
want our growing number of prospective students and parents who have
smartphones to have a tool in their hands to get to know Niagara better," said
Dr. Kevin Hearn, vice president for student affairs and interim dean of
enrollment management. "This app will certainly not replace the personal nature
of the counselor-to-student interaction, but it will make our information more
accessible and enhance the experience of a college-searching family."

Niagara
graduates can find information on alumni events, submit a class note and make a
gift to the university, all via their mobile devices.

"Our
alumni are going to be extremely excited about having this type of connectivity
to the university," added Christine O'Hara, Class of 1988, M.S.Ed.'06,
executive director of alumni engagement. "Aside from the alumni-specific
features, I know having all of the campus news and sporting event schedules in
one spot will be very appealing to those who love to keep in touch with their
alma mater."

The
mobile application was designed by Matt Villnave, '02, assistant director of
information technology, and coordinated by Michael Freedman, associate director
of public relations and manager of online content. By developing the app
in-house, Villnave estimates the university saved tens of thousands of dollars
in initiation costs and annual fees.

"We
are constantly seeking ways to optimize our resources, and my inclination was
that we could develop a higher-quality mobile application - one that can be
updated by our public relations office in real-time - and utilize our monetary
resources elsewhere," Villnave said.

Matthew
Nadler, president of the Niagara University Student Government Association,
also played a significant role in the mobile application's development. Over
the past few months, he assembled focus groups to meet with Freedman and
Villnave so that they could most effectively gauge student interest.

Several
new ideas arose from these meetings, such as including meal plan balances,
polls and club information, and adding a feature called "Share Your NU," which
allows users to submit their own photos for possible use in university
marketing materials and on social media sites.

"I'm
very pleased that the university continues to put such an emphasis on involving
students in the development and implementation process," said Nadler, a senior
from New Rochelle. "I know that we are quite confident that the app was
improved due to our input, and we believe that the university community will
find it to be very helpful."